The Scarf
by cookie-moi
Summary: A quick oneshot about Toby and his new scarf.


**Title: The Scarf**

Rating: PG  
Pairing: Nellie/Toby  
Disclaimer: I don't own The Office. I don't even own the knitting needles I'm using. All just borrowed.  
Summary: A quick oneshot about Toby and his new scarf. (Best summary I've written by far.)  
Other: As always this is for Meg, and also Hadar, who constantly drive me close to insanity but never beyond it. Thank you for that. ^^ This is not what you two asked for but all I managed today. Sorry. Hope you'll like it anyway.

~~o~~

Toby stood up from his more and more uncomfortable getting chair, stretched his tired back and rubbed his cramped neck muscles for a moment. He had sat too long today, always wanting to get up and walk around for a bit but hindered by everybody coming to him to complain about everyone and everything.

Angela had nagged about Kevin and Oscar, Oscar had tiraded against Kevin, Kevin hadn't complained at all, he had just eaten all of Toby's cookies. Phyllis had vented her anger about Stanley on Toby, Stanley had criticised everything Phyllis had done today. Creed and Meredith had gotten into each others hair and had needed somebody to mediate between them. Pam had gone on for minutes about everybody else behaving like children. Clark had squabbled about something which Toby had already forgotten when the young salesman had left. Andy had ranted about Erin, Erin had talked about Dwight.

And Dwight... Toby just ignored the big box full of complaints filed by Dwight today.

Even though they had a standing apointment on Fridays, it was just Tuesday. Or it had been. As it already was after 5 pm in the afternoon and all he wanted to do was to go home, make himself something to eat, then watch some TV and fall into his bed.

Only one person hadn't been in to see him and complain about the others today. Though in this case he wasn't very relieved about it as seeing her would have very much lightened his mood.

Closing his coat he reached for his new scarf.

To any other person it would have looked just like a normal brown and red knitted scarf but to him it was so much more. It was not just any scarf but the first scarf Nellie had ever knitted for him. Or the first thing she had ever knitted at all.

It was uneven in some places, knotted in others, but to him it was perfect.

She had spent hours with it, trying to teach herself how to hold the yarn and the needles, how to end a row and start a new one. The colours were his favourite, and she had never asked him about them but simply known what he liked.

Running his fingers against the soft scarf, he smiled as he remembered how shy she had been when she had presented it to him. Nervously she had handed him a black box closed with a grey bow after they had shared a for once not burned dinner together in his flat.

He had been surprised and a bit worried at how nervous and unsure she had seemed suddenly when their evening had been delightful until then. His fingers hadn't shaken when he had opened the box but his heart had thundered in his chest. To then burst with joy when she explained what it was and how much time she had spent with it.

That she had had a secret had not escaped him back then as he had once surprised her in her living room hastily hiding something behind the sofa as he had been early. The happier he had been that evening when he finally realised that she had hidden only a gift for him.

Feeling less irritated already by just looking at it he wrapped the scarf around his neck. Imagining her hands running down his back to calm him down, he startled when her voice, laced with that lovely british accent, rang from the door to the office's kitchen suddenly.

"I had wanted to ask you to come home with me tonight and let me cook something for you. Or get takeout." Her voice got softer. "No chance of burning that."

He looked up to see her leaning against the door frame. "Though maybe you'd rather be left alone with that scarf tonight."

A small chuckle escaped him at her cheekiness, while the idea of spending his evening with her chased away his tired mood and brightened up the evening.

"You're quite fond of that scarf, aren't you?" A small smile played over her lips, which widened as he lifted his hand as if do reach for her. Stroking a ginger lock out of her face and over her coat clad shoulder she stepped into the Annex and took his hand.

Her cheeks coloured a soft red hue as he lifted her delicate hand to his lips and kissed the back of her fingers.

"You know, I love this scarf." He kept a hold of her hand as he let his sink down between them. Her eyebrow went up at his confession and he met the amused expression in her warm eyes with his own.

Lovingly he cupped her cheek in his hand and stroked his thumb over her skin.

"But not as much as I love you."

~~o~~

_I hope you liked it. If you did, please have some cookies while leaving a review. If not, have some anyway. :) I'm going back to knitting my first ever scarf now._


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